The green dock beetle is a member of the family of leaf beetles. Swedish entomologist Baron Charles de Geer first described this species in 1775.
Size: 7 mm (females); 4 mm (males)
Color: They are green with a metallic shimmer. When light falls on them, the shimmer varies in color from blue to gold green, purple to red, or even violet. Their legs are also a metallic green color.
Other Characteristic Features: Their antennae are medium in length and serrated, while the legs appear strongly built.
The larvae range from greenish-gray to dark brown. They are 8 mm long and segmented. Young larvae, when disturbed falls to the ground, while feeding, secrete a substance to repel other larvae from eating leaves.
After completing three instars the larva begins to pupate incol3 a burrow about 2 cm underground.
The eggs range from cream to yellow and are oval-shaped. On coming close to hatching, the eggs become orange. Females lay over 1000 eggs in their lifetime, with 20 – 45 eggs being laid at a time.
| Other names | Green sorrel beetle, green dock leaf beetle, green dock beetle |
| Lifespan | 2 months |
| Distribution | Central Europe, Britain, western Siberia, and the Caucasus mountains |
| Habitat | Gardens, forests, heathlands, and meadows |
| Seasons active | May – June |
| Diet of adults | Over-ripe or decayed fruit |
The larvae of these beetles can only feed on the leaves of the Rumex species, making it easy to identify an infestation.
Image Source: earthstarblog.files.wordpress.com, arthropodafotos.de, warehouse1.indicia.org.uk, arthropodafotos.de, live.staticflickr.com, aphotofauna.com, alchetron.com,
The green dock beetle is a member of the family of leaf beetles. Swedish entomologist Baron Charles de Geer first described this species in 1775.
Size: 7 mm (females); 4 mm (males)
Color: They are green with a metallic shimmer. When light falls on them, the shimmer varies in color from blue to gold green, purple to red, or even violet. Their legs are also a metallic green color.
Other Characteristic Features: Their antennae are medium in length and serrated, while the legs appear strongly built.
The larvae range from greenish-gray to dark brown. They are 8 mm long and segmented. Young larvae, when disturbed falls to the ground, while feeding, secrete a substance to repel other larvae from eating leaves.
After completing three instars the larva begins to pupate incol3 a burrow about 2 cm underground.
The eggs range from cream to yellow and are oval-shaped. On coming close to hatching, the eggs become orange. Females lay over 1000 eggs in their lifetime, with 20 – 45 eggs being laid at a time.
| Other names | Green sorrel beetle, green dock leaf beetle, green dock beetle |
| Lifespan | 2 months |
| Distribution | Central Europe, Britain, western Siberia, and the Caucasus mountains |
| Habitat | Gardens, forests, heathlands, and meadows |
| Seasons active | May – June |
| Diet of adults | Over-ripe or decayed fruit |
The larvae of these beetles can only feed on the leaves of the Rumex species, making it easy to identify an infestation.
Image Source: earthstarblog.files.wordpress.com, arthropodafotos.de, warehouse1.indicia.org.uk, arthropodafotos.de, live.staticflickr.com, aphotofauna.com, alchetron.com,
